UN chief calls for solid support to maintain world peace

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called upon the international community to provide financial and other support to help the United Nations prevent conflicts and maintain peace in the world.

Speaking to all 193 member states at the UN General Assembly on the review of the UN peace efforts, the secretary-general said, "These reviews represent a roadmap towards a more peaceful future, supported by a multilateral peace and security architecture that is fit for purpose."

"They make common calls that we ignore at our peril: for more effective conflict prevention, stronger partnerships, more predictable financing, and greater participation of women and youth," Ban said.

"Success demands a strong sense of shared responsibility among Member States and between Member States and the Secretariat," he said. "We must keep this in sharp focus going forward."

On the peacekeeping efforts, he said, "Peace operations must be flexible. They must be tailored to prevailing conditions. And they must benefit from a comprehensive understanding of the operating environment."

"That is why it is vital to improve system-wide planning and analysis. We must draw on expertise across the United Nations to inform recommendations to the Security Council," he said. "When we bring UN partners together, we can improve early response strategies and transitions."

He said that his office is collaborating across the UN system to optimize the relevant strengths.

"To be more agile, we are reviewing key administrative and logistical processes to see how they can better support our operations," he said. "We will then look, more broadly, at (UN) Secretariat policies and procedures to be more responsive."

"At the same time, we are giving priority to realizing the potential of our uniformed personnel," he said, referring to peacekeeping soldiers and civilian police officers.

On the financial issue, he said, "UN women, peace and security activities are also underfunded."

"And globally, in recent years, less than two percent of peace and security funding for conflict-affected and fragile states was channelled to programs focusing on gender equality," he said. "Your generous funding should address short-term emergencies and long-term objectives."

The migration and refugee crisis has caused some member states to channel resources to domestic responses -- but this should not be at the expense of the UN's ability to prevent and tackle the underlying causes that force people to flee, he said. Enditem